Join the Civic Initiative for a panel discussion on new approaches to deliberative democracy as part of the NI Human Rights Festival

Deliberative democracy has been on the rise globally as more and more governments embrace ciitizen participation as a tool in policymaking.

Against the backdrop of Northern Ireland’s long shelved Civic Forum, envisaged under the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, the Civic Initiative launched a new approach to test the appetite of people in Northern Ireland and cross-border communities for engagement in economic and social issues in conjunction with wider involvement in devolved political
institutions.

The results are compelling. Combining participatory democracy models from countries such as Denmark, Ireland, and Belgium, the Civic Initiative has developed a new approach to restoring and revitalising Northern Ireland’s Civic Forum.